Kartemquin Films: Inspiring New Generations of Filmmakers for over 48 years

Posted by Lance Kramer1501.40sc on February 26, 2015

In the next installment in our partner spotlight series, we talk with City of Trees director Brandon Kramer about the invaluable collaboration and mentorship Kartemquin Films has provided to Meridian Hill Pictures.

Since 1966, Kartemquin Films has served as a home for Chicago’s documentary filmmakers. As the studio’s mission and reach have expanded with the success of landmark films like Hoop Dreams (1994), The New Americans (2004), The Interrupters (2011), and Life Itself (2014), Kartemquin has committed itself to mentoring and fostering aspiring documentary filmmakers from around the world.

Brandon and Lance first learned about Kartemquin through KTQ’s iconic film Hoop Dreams, when they saw the film in their high school English class in the late 90’s. Kartemquin’s expertise telling the stories of underrepresented people and communities through honest, authentic and compelling narratives was an immediate inspiration. As Lance and Brandon were in the early stages of starting Meridian Hill Pictures, they became more interested in understanding how Kartemquin formed both their ethical approach to vérité storytelling and how they built a sustainable documentary production organization around these principles.

When Kartemquin co-founder and artistic director Gordon Quinn and executive director Justine Nagan came to Washington, D.C. in 2011 to host a master documentary filmmaking class at the Hill Center, Brandon and Lance jumped at the opportunity to learn from them.

“At that point we were about a year into production on City of Trees,” Brandon recalled. “We were trying to understand how to follow our characters’ lives and craft a story out of it. We were grappling with how we should deal with moments where you’re in someone’s life and they’re struggling. What do you observe and capture and at what point do you step in to help?”

To learn how Kartemquin helped guide the City of Trees team read the full story here: bit.ly/1GvkZP3

More about City of Trees

We are thrilled to announce CITY OF TREES will launch on Netflix streaming on May 15 to more than 50 million subscribers! The film is also now available to rent or purchase on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, and Vudu!

Lance and Brandon were invited by George Mason University Visiting Filmmakers Series on the day after the 2016 election to visit film classes, engage with students, and screen CITY OF TREES + THE MESSY TRUTH followed by Q&A discussion moderated by Professor Rutledge Dennis.

Contact Us

Optional email code

Want to screen one of our films? Interested in commissioning MHP to produce a short film for your org? Please share any info on project scope, budget, and timeline. Share your contact details and we will follow up shortly to discuss next steps!